Friday, November 20, 2015

What should you do if you get caught in a situation like that which took place in Paris last week? Here are some tips from security experts who spoke to the BBC.

1. BE PREPARED: Many survivors of the Paris attacks said they mistook the first gunshots for fireworks. This is typical, says Mr John Leach, a survival psychologist and military survival instructor.

People who are not expecting gunshots will assume they are something else because it does not fit in with their expectations. The time it can take to understand what is happening can be lethal.

Ask yourself what your first response should be if anything goes wrong. And pay attention to where the exits are - this may help save lives.

2. REACT QUICKLY: Most people will be too confused to do anything during an attack. Mr Leach has looked at life-threatening situations around the world and found that only 15 per cent of people will respond in a way that helps them survive.

Up to 75 per cent will just be too bewildered by what is happening around them to react at all. The other 10 per cent will react in ways that reduce their chances of survival and get in the way of other people, he says. Acting decisively might make survival more likely.

3. MAKE YOURSELF A SMALLER TARGET: "Where there's cover from sight, there's cover from fire," advises Mr Ian Reed, a former British soldier, military instructor and chief executive of the Formative Group security firm.

The first thing is to try to get out of the way and make yourself a smaller target. This can involve simply dropping to the ground but ideally means getting behind some sort of cover. Hard cover such as a concrete wall is the best option.

In some scenarios, playing dead or running away may save your life.

4. FIGHTING BACK: Rushing a gunman has worked in some situations. In August, a train attack was foiled in France after passengers overpowered the lone gunman. But of the four passengers involved in subduing him, one was in the air force and another in the National Guard. The men made the attempt only after the shooter's weapon jammed.

Mr Reed says it is not a good idea to take on an assailant without training. Many attackers will be working in teams, while some will be wearing body armour and others could be carrying explosives.

Despite the dangers, some argue that it is important to be ready to fight if necessary. Psychologist and hostage negotiator James Alvarez said: "If I know that I'm going to be shot, I'd like to think that I'm not going to go down quietly."

5. AFTER THE ESCAPE: Once someone has managed to escape the situation, it is important for him to remain vigilant. "Get as far away as possible, behind as much hard cover as possible and go to the nearest authority figures for help," says Mr Reed. It can be dangerous to join big groups nearby and to take public transport.

"Always assume that there's going to be a secondary device or action," adds Mr Reed. The key is to take advice from police officers or other officials as they may have better knowledge of the situation.

6. HELP ONE ANOTHER: The chances of being caught up in a major attack are still low. But if it does happen, cooperating with others can increase people's chance of survival, says Mr Chris Cocking, a social psychologist and expert in crowd behaviour.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on November 20, 2015, with the headline 'What to do in a terror attack: Advice from experts'. Print Edition | Subscribe

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Last week we asked on Facebook and Twitter: What's a problem only book lovers understand? We got over 1,000 amazing responses! So even if non-book lovers don't get your struggle, remember—you're among friends here.

1. "The urge to buy books even though you still have too many books to read at home." (Rie VdWarth)

ByTessa Gallagher- 30 Sep 2015

Piccolo's Corner | Image credit: Louise Coghill

It's no secret that here at The Urban List, we love our food—and we know you do too Perth! From delectable fine dining to the latest cafe openings and lust-worthy baked goods, Perth continues to astound us in all its culinary glory!

So we've come up with a (far from exhaustive) list of the 50 meals you downright should have eaten by now if you call our sunny city home! So are you neglecting your tastebuds, or are you a foodie with the finest of palates?
Here’s 50 meals you should have eaten if you live in Perth. Side note: The below are in no particular order, picking a favourite would be harder than choosing a favourite child!

Dr. Mark demonstrating sinus drainage for allergy relief. Also a technique to help not have a sore throat or to hurry it up and get rid of it. This does increase your immune system function overall too.
Posted by Mark Lynch on Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Hello, 007. Today we’re going to take a look at what I’ve always assumed is another one of the worst-kept secrets in modern watchmaking: the Seiko Diver, model number SKX007. It’s probably the single best value at any price point, in an automatic watch that fits all the criteria of the infamous ISO 6425, which specifies the criteria for a watch to be able to call itself a diver’s watch (at least, in ISO member nations). Yes, it fits both the letter and the spirit of the law, but as with another worst-kept secret from Seiko – the incredible Seiko 5, which we looked at not long ago in our story “A $75 Watch That Looks Like A Million Bucks” – it ultimately manages to be so appealing on its own merits that the almost incredulity-inducing price is the least important aspect of the watch.

The SKX007 may have a humble price but it is part of a proud lineage of diver’s watches that goes all the way back to 1965, when Seiko introduced the 150-meter-water-resistant reference 6217. Since then, Seiko has introduced a huge range of diver’s watches, ranging from the iconic ref. 6105, which was produced until 1977 (and is famous among movie watch enthusiasts for having been on Martin Sheen’s wrist inApocalypse Now) to its professional models, intended for use under very challenging conditions, including saturation diving. The latter category includes the very first watch to use titanium in its case – the 1975 600 meter Pro Diver. (The 1980 Porsche Design Titan Chronograph was the first wristwatch to offer a titanium case, and an integrated titanium bracelet.) Seiko’s dive watch offerings today include perhaps the most purely practical mechanical dive watch in existence, at least considered from a technical perspective. This is the Grand Seiko Spring Drive Diver, whose self-winding Spring Drive movement and power reserve indication ensure both a very high degree of accuracy (within one second per day) as well as the ability to check and make sure there’s enough power reserve to prevent the watch from running down in the middle of a dive. (For a more detailed history, check out this great story over on Monochrome.)

SKX007’s immediate ancestor is the Seiko 7002, which it closely resembles, and it shares with SKX007 a water resistance rating of 200 m. It was produced until 1996, when it was finally replaced by the model you see here. SKX007 is also no longer in production but can be found on the secondary market, which is unfortunate as it represents the entry price point into the world of Seiko diver’s watches – as a matter of fact, it probably represents the entry price point into the world of genuine, ISO-compliant mechanical diver’s watches, period. (Rather amazingly, Seiko still hosts the PDF user’s manual for the 7002 on its website.)

SKX007 is an exercise in functional minimalism; there is absolutely nothing extraneous about any aspect of the watch. The case is a solid, heavy mass of stainless steel, though as with all Seikos, even at the entry level, it is exceedingly well made, with the rounded flanks rising gracefully to form the crown guards. The crown (for setting only, like the Seiko 5, the SKX007 can’t be hand-wound, but must be gently swung in the hand to wind the mainspring) is set at 4 o'clock, the better to keep it from pressing uncomfortably into the back of your wrist.

The bezel rotates in half-minute increments, and this is one of the many places that this watch shows its quality despite its very low cost. The tip of the triangle (with its inset luminous pearl) always lines up exactly on the index mark (or exactly halfway between) and it’s quite fantastic to see that cost notwithstanding, Seiko has ensured the watch offers irreproachable functional precision where it counts. The dial is also unadorned, but functionally excellent, with large and very bright lume plots (Seiko dive watches are famously torch-bright in the dark) and the seconds hand has both an application of white paint on its body, and a dot of lume on its tail, the better to allow you to use it as a function check in low light situations. There are some who will take exception to the white date/day disks, but the use of white actually makes the dial more symmetrical, and enhances low light legibility to boot.

The jubilee-style bracelet is, like the rest of the watch, functionally more than adequate. It rattles a bit, as is the case with the OEM bracelet for the Seiko 5 and quite a few owners like to experiment with different straps. Despite the occasional jingle-jangle, however, it’s actually quite comfortable, though it does not have a diver’s wetsuit extension (and you can hardly fault it for that, at the asking price, though if you dive with the watch a lot, you’ll probably want to put it on a long NATO or rubber strap).

Inside is the caliber 7S26, and as we did with the Seiko 5, we refer you, if you’re interested, to a full technical analysis of the movement from John Davis, whose article on the 7S26 has never been bettered for accuracy or, well, depth. We’ll confine ourselves here to noting that the movement is notoriously bullet-proof, and that the Magic Lever winding system is both a very clever piece of engineering, and extremely efficient (the watch, when taken in the hand, begins to run almost immediately at the slightest movement).

So here’s a true dive watch with wonderful functional excellence, and a connection to a great history – and the price? Pretty much any day of the week, you can find one for sale on Amazon for less than $170, which seems unbelievable, but it’s true. I can’t think of very many things horologically related, period, that are that inexpensive (okay, NATO straps and... I don’t know, spring bars, maybe) and absolutely nothing at this price point that is even remotely competitive. To get the same functional excellence, you would probably have to look at a G-Shock, and the latter, while a fantastic tool watch in its own right, is not ISO 6452-compliant. SKX007 has been for many years, and remains today, a rebuke to over-priced, over-decorated “luxury” dive watches everywhere – and a perennially fantastic Value Proposition.